Simplicity Vs. Perfection

When talking with an acquaintance a while back; she asked me how my organizing business was going and then asked, “So are you one of those people who likes to have everything just so?” I laughed and told her that I’m not a perfectionist if that is what she was asking.  But I do like to be able to find things when we need them, so we have a specific place for everything we own. However, I am not particular about having everything perfect in my home, this is definitely not me. I like things to be simple, not perfect.  

Fewer Ducks Please

I actually have become an organized person out of necessity, due to my ADHD and the fact that I have a low tolerance for juggling tasks and remembering things. My short attention span makes me forgetful. Therefore, I need to keep things really simple for myself in order to keep all my ducks in a row… lest I forget a duck.

A Place For Everything And Everything In Its Place

I learned early on that everything in my life needs to have a permanent home in order for me to keep track of things. Though our home is not perfectly organized all of the time, we can keep it looking fairly presentable without much effort simply because everything has a home. In addition to having a home for everything, like items are stored together and we have less stuff. That’s pretty much it. It is a pretty simple system.

Since everyone in my family knows where everything belongs, things are usually put back when we are done using them. Nobody does this perfectly, and as you might guess, some family members are better at it than others. But we have established the habit of doing it most of the time, which goes a long way in maintaining order overall.

Keep Organizational Systems Simple

Simple organizational systems are better than complicated ones because they are easier to maintain and use. If you are struggling with keeping a particular space organized, think about how you might be able to simplify it by reducing how much you have. Do this before you invest in more elaborate organizing products to manage it all.

Good Organizing Habits Are Key

Some spaces, like sewing or craft rooms, do require more intricate organizational systems because you are dealing with so many small items that need to be sorted. But most of the time, simple, open containers that are easily accessible are all you need to keep like items together and organized. Then, establishing the habit of putting things back in their assigned homes once they have one, is key. You also want to make sure everything is super easy to access and put away so that minimal effort is required for upkeep.

Imperfection Rules

I don’t spend a lot of energy fussing over and making sure everything is perfectly organized in our home because this would be an impossible feat. With 5 family members and a large dog running around our home all of the time, it is never perfect.  If you can make peace with the fact that your home will never be perfect and instead work on keeping things mostly organized, you’ll feel more satisfied with your home overall.

Always Have a Donate Box Ready To Be Filled

Make a strong effort to frequently get rid of things that you are no longer using.  This is really the biggest secret to staying on top of keeping order in your house.  We have a donate box set up in our storage room and every family member knows to toss the things that they no longer want into the box.  I take several boxes to a charity at least twice a year, and I am always surprised at how fast the boxes fill up.  Things come into our homes on a constant basis, so we need to make sure things are going out regularly as well.

How Can I Make This Easier?

Staying organized has less to do with trying to achieve perfection and more to do with keeping things simple, lightening the load, and establishing and sticking to helpful habits and routines. We should always ask ourselves the same question when we are overwhelmed with staying organized.  How can we make this simpler so that we can minimize maintenance and stress and feel more peaceful at home?